MPBA
POWERING OFFSITE WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
Richard Hipkiss, Development Director for the Modular and Portable Building Association (MPBA), discusses the role digital technology plays as offsite construction rapidly becomes a preferred delivery model.
1 The government and the wider public sector play a pivotal role in encouraging and facilitating the uptake of modern methods of construction (MMC). Progressive building systems that deliver at scale and increase productivity are now in great demand. Historically, manufacturing operations have been considered extensions to construction processes instead of an integral and important part. This perception is changing. As offsite construction becomes an increasingly dominant force that utilises high levels of technology, the lines between manufacturing, engineering and construction have become blurred – creating a need for new skills and redefining existing ones.
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Positive impact Volumetric modular technology offers benefits that have a huge positive impact on the construction industry, bringing longstanding traditional practices up to date. The first key shift away from traditional methods is that build processes take place in controlled factory conditions. The farreaching implications of this require a change of mind-set and approach. At the core of volumetric modular production, Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) protocols and Building Information Modelling (BIM) enable optimal configuration of offsite solutions by connecting multi-discipline and multi-tier teams right from the beginning of the design development process.
WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY/JUNE 2022
DfMA facilitates early design detail and three-dimensional design information, while BIM minimises the risk of errors by eliminating the time-consuming process of translating engineers’ information into cutting lists and assembly drawings. BIM also enables the optimising and testing of designs in virtual and pre-production environments. Technology is ever evolving, and the volumetric industry is now integrating BIM and digital design specifications with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Material Requirement Planning (MRP). This technology permits manufacturing simulation and visualisation, clash detection and virtual onsite assembly modelling, which can be enhanced using augmented and virtual reality.
